And while many might have seen the spectacle as both cute and cuddly, the same cannot be said for the folks at PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals). Instead, the group strongly condemned the use of live animals during the show.

“It’s inherently stressful for wild animals — who naturally shun contact with humans and are extremely sensitive to environmental changes — to be hauled around, used as props, and exposed to noisy crowds, with or without explosives going off,” Tracy Reiman, the executive vice president of PETA, said in a letter, (h/t The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). “Hockey fans come to see talented athletes compete, not shy animals terrorized.”

To PETA’s point, at one point during the show the penguins did experience what appeared to be a stressful moment that involved pyrotechnics.